Dispensers for sheet material



March 5, 1957 F. c. TRAVER DISPENSERS FOR SHEET MATERIAL Filed Oct. '7,1955 inventor Fred C. Trav er gqflornegs nited States Patent DISPENSERSFOR SHEET MATERIAL Fred C. Traver, Chicago, Ill. Application October 7,1955, Serial No. 539,052 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-52) This invention relates todispensers, and more particularly to transparent, tubular dispensers forseverable sheet material in roll form.

The dispenser of the present invention is adapted to be used as acontainer 'for severable sheet material such as waxedpaperunder-circumstances such that a predetermined length of the sheetmay be withdrawn from a roll in the dispenser and readily torn along acutting edge included as a part of the dispenser. Heretofore, dispensersfor waxed paper or the like have usually been in the form of anelongated, rectangular carton provided with a displaceable lid affordingpassage for the free end of the sheet material Withdrawn from suchcontainer, and the relation is such that the withdrawn sheet isassociated with means affording a saw-tooth edge on which the sheet canbe tensioned and torn to afiord a sheet of predetermined length.

Under the present invention, a dispenser including a container for waxedpaper or the like is provided in tubular form, and the container iscomposed of transparent plastic enabling the particular color of thesheet material disposed therein to be viewed. The container of thepresent dispenser is closed at either end by removable caps, andpreferably these caps are of the color of the sheet material disposedwithin the tubular container. At one portion, a slot is afforded in theside wall of the container to enable the sheet material to be withdrawn,and this afiords a cutting edge along which the sheet material may besevered or torn.

In view of the foregoing, the primary object of the present invention isto enable sheet material such as waxed paper or the like to be readilywithdrawn in predetermined lengths from a tubular container and severedalong an edge afforded by the slot in the container through which thematerial is withdrawn; to enable containers of the foregoing kind to bearranged on a merchandizing shelf in such a way that sheet material of aparticular color can be readily selected; and to materially simplify theconstruction of dispensers for waxed paper or the like.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description and claim and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawing which, by way of illustration, shows a preferredembodiment of the present invention and the principle thereof and What Inow consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applyingthat principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same orequivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made asdesired by those skilled in the art without departing from the presentinvention.

in the drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser constructedaccordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of thecontainer, away at either end;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the dispensing of sheetmaterial from the dispenser; and

being broken 2,783,878 Patented Mar. 5, 1957 Fig. 4 is a sectional viewillustrating relations involved during the severing of a sheet.

The present invention is illustrated in the drawing as embodied in adispenserlO of tubular form which is adapted to contain a roll R ofsheet material such as waxed paper or the like. It will be appreciated,however, that waxed paper is but oneexample of the kind of sheetmaterial contemplated by the present invention, inasmuch as the roll Rmay consist of any kind of sheet material of relatively frangible natureadapted to be torn along a knife edgemerely by applying tension to theportion of the sheet that is engaged with the means affording such Thedispenser 10 includes acylindrical sleeve 11, and under the presentinvention this sleeve 11 is composed of a transparent plastic materialsuch as cellulose acetate, butyrate, polyethylene or like plasticmaterial transparent in nature and capable of being-extruded into thedesired, self-sustaining tubular shape and configuration. The sleeve 11,as will be observed in Fig. 2, is open at either-end, and is-provided atone such end with a cap 13 which is preferably adhesively securedthereto. At the end opposite the cap 13, the sleeve portion 11 of thedis penser is provided with a removable cap 14 adapted to befrictionally retained in place. Thus, by removing the cap 14, the roll Rmay be inserted into the sleeve 11, or the empty spindle Preferably thecaps 13 and 14 are of the color corresponding to the color of the sheetmaterial comprising the roll R. Thus, dispensers as 10 may be arrangedon a store shelf with an end 13 or 14 exposed to view, thereby enablingthe purchaser to select a dispenser 1!) containing a roll R of waxedpaper or the like of the desired color.

Under the present invention, the side wall of the container cylinder orsleeve 11 is provided with an elongated axially directed slot 20 whichis of a length corresponding to the width of the sheet material to bedispensed.

Thus, the free end of the roll R may be disposed opposite the slot 20,and to enable this end of the sheet to be withdrawn through the slot 20an enlarged fingerreceiving notch 20N is formed at the medial pointalong one edge of the slot 20 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The notch 20Nenables the thumb and forefinger to be inserted in the slot 20 to gripand pull through the slot 20 the free end E, Fig. 3, of a sheet S ofpredetermined length off the roll R.

Provision of the slot 20 affords at the same time a cutting edge 21,this being represented by the edge of the slot 20 opposite the edge inwhich the notch 20N is formed. After a sheet S of predetermined lengthhas been withdrawn as described above, the roll R may be engaged by thethumb as shown in Fig. 3 to hold the roll R stationary within thecontainer 11. The sheet S is then tensioned by the opposite hand asshown in Fig. 3 and is torn along the cutting edge 21 as will be readilyapparent from Fig. 4.

Tubular extrusions as 11 are, of course, relatively thin in nature, sothat the cutting edge 21 is an innate characteristic of an edge of theslot 20 formed in the sleeve 11, and it will be readily appreciated thata slot 20 having this characteristic may be stamped in the sleeve 11after first mounting the sleeve 11 on a mandrel, or by a similar toolingprocedure.

It will be seen from the foregoing that under the present inventionthere is provided a dispenser of relative simplicity, and this includesan extruded container of such nature that by forming a dispensing slottherein a cutting edge is produced at the same time. The container 11being of extruded, that is, continuous or seamless form is capable ofeconomic production, and resultantly there are no seams to be sealed orflaps to be closed. Moreover, the end caps 13 and 14 in effect lendrigidity to the 16 of the roll R may be removed.

sleeve or tube 11 so that the tube 11 can be provided of optimumthinness.

Hence, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodimentof my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable ofvariation and modification.

I claim:

A dispenser for sheet material in roll form comprising a continuous,seamless, cylindrical, thin, flexible and resilient walled extruded tubeof plastic selected from the group consisting of cellulose acetate,cellulose butyrate and polyethylene, a reinforcing and closure cap oneach end of the tube, each cap having an annular side wall flangecomplement-ally engaging and closing oif one end portion of the tube,one of the closure caps being removable, said tube having die stamped inthe wall thereof an axially directed slot the ends of which terminatewell inwardly of the ends of the tube, said side wall flanges of the endcaps extending closely adjacent the ends of said slot, a roll of sheetmaterial in said tube to be withdrawn through said slot, a cutting edgefor material withdrawn through said slot formed solely and entirely bythe thin plastic wall portion of the tube directly bordering one side ofthe slot, the tube being provided with a finger notch extending inwardlyfrom the edge of said slot opposite said cutting edge and centrally ofthe ends thereof, said roll of sheet material enclosed in said tubehaving the convolutions thereof running in a direction to deliver thefree end of the outer convolution to said cutting edge withouttraversing said finger notch whereby said sheet material may bedispensed by reversely bending it over said cutting edge prior tocutting thereof, and the resilient wall portion of the tube directlyadjoining said notch being depressible inwardly by pressure of the thumbthereon and thereby providing for variable movement of the tip of thethumb inwardly during the dispensing of the roll of sheet material toreadily engage and hold the roll of material against rotation while awithdrawn portion of the sheet material is being engaged with andsevered on said cutting edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,739,560 Ranck Dec. 17, 1929 1,833,999 McCaskey Dec. 1, 1931 FOREIGNPATENTS 9,845 Great Britain 1906

